1975-04-23; Central Michigan Life

              I
I Volume 55 No. 80
Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan 48859
Wednesday, April 23, 1975
Conflict
by ROSS WILKINSON
and „
ANDREE LANGLAIS
; CM LIFE Reporters
Minority groups may boycott classes and picket in front of the
kiyersity Center April 28 to protest the proposed Student Association
Institution.
; The constitution, which was approved by Student Assembly Monday
tw, included one seat to represent the Organization for Black Unity
Chicanos Organized for Progress and Action (COPA) and Gay
iteration.
FRANCISCO Rodriguez, coordinator for COPA, said, "We (minority
|ups) came to the conclusion to actively oppose Student Association."
[/"First of all, we're seeking three seats. One seat is not good enough. We
jtidedshouldthe constitution be approved we would not accept it unless
lae were three seats."
"We approve of the concept of Student Association, but we disagree
Minorities may protest Board seat
but still support Association concept
with the constitution," Rodriguez added.
Virgil Leone, president of Gay Liberation, said students would not be
asked to vote down the constitution but would be asked not to vote.
Rodriguez said the separate board seats were needed to represent
different cultural groups. One representative could not speak for other
minorities because of differing cultural backgrounds.
In response to the argument every.small organization would qualify for
a separate seat, Eldon Butler, Romulus sophomore representing OBU, said,
"Small organizations are a temporal thing. People can stop being a member
of the French Club or Political Science Club. But we can't stop being black,
or being a Chicano. We want respect for our different cultures."
Leone said the proposed Board of Directors membership would
represent only white, middle-class values.
BILL PILCHAK,student body president, said, "We can't change now.
It's set and done."
Pilchak said if OBU, COPA and Gay Lib were given separate seats other
groups would have to be given separate representation. "You would have to
tudents to vote on Association
\s Assembly ratifies constitution
by ROSS WILKINSON
CM LIFE Reporter
Student Assembly ratified the
loposed Student Association
institution after two previous
(empts Monday night.
After failing twice to reach a
jorum to pass the constitution last
lek, Assembly approved the
farter article by article and
Jmbers applauded when it was at
|t ratified.
The most controversial issue
jitered on the condensing of the
siber of seats on the Association's
lard of Directors. Assembly ap-
pved giving minority groups one
It.
THE ORGANIZATION for
kck Unity (OBU), Chicanos
kanized for Progressive Action
DPA) and Gay Liberation 'were
given separate seats last Tuesday by
the Board of Directors. Associated
Women Students (AWS) and
Women's Health Information Project
(WHIP) also were given separate
positions.
Although Thursday's Assembly
meeting was later declared invalid,
members voted to reduce the
number of seats and lump OBU,
COPA and Gay Liberation together.
AWS and WHIP would have one
seat also.
"Minority groups reacted quite
badly," Bill Pilchak, student body
president, said "They insisted on
those seats."
However:, Assembly reaffirmed,
Thursday's action, after much
debate (see related story this page).
Norman Siders, off-campus
representative, contended minority
groups were too diverse to be able to
function together.
"I don't see how one person can
represent three or four groups,"
Arnie Lutz, off-campus representative, said. "One person will have so
much work he won't be effective."
CHUCK KIRSCHKE, Emmons
representative, noted the Minorities
Organizational Council (MOC)
originally included Real Indians and
the International Student's
Organization (ISO), as well as OBU,
COPA and <3ay Liberation. "We're
cutting out Real Indians and ISO,"
he said. "If these (OBU, COPA, Gay
Lib) minorities get separate seats,
there's a rational for them have
separate seat|^rid this could spiral."
David Niven, student body vice
president, said, "Everyone in this
room is a minority. Each one can't
epresent one of us totally. But
hopefully, one person can represent
other students."
Skip Bleecker, Flint senior,
argued, "The minorities come from a
whole different background. Most of
the board comes from basically
white, middle class backgrounds. We
need non-white views."
Lutz said, "The paperwork
involved is so large, we need more
representatives."
"I haven't heard one quantitative reason for giving minority
groups three seats," Pilchak contended. After the outcome, he noted,
"The alternative was to give three
seats to min'oritie.S;, two seats for
women, two for Greeks and good-
knows-how-many for small
organizations."
(See Assembly ok's". . . ".page 51
Lack of involvement cited
Senators criticize students
■help
by NANCY SIRCHER
CM LIFE Reporter
The need for students to help Academic Senate become more apparent
onday's meeting. However, whether students are willing or will be able
will not be known until student'committee members are elected at
next Senate meeting May 5. t
The need for help was noted by Harry Busselen, chairman of the
liversity Curriculum Committee, which addressed the Senate on problems
t committee has been faced with this year.
"THE CONTINUITY of our operation requires a more permanent
iftent ssmditfates Intervl^ewed^jjasiBiiB
ourt will hear
appeal May 14
by MITCH HEAD
LIFE Ass't. News Editor
Oral arguments are to be heard
pe Michigan Court of Appeals in
?nd Rapids May 14 in connection
an appeal for a decertification
*ion at CMU.
deputy Court Clerk Jim Bauhof
1 the hearing is the seventh case
[be heard that day and probably
'•not be heard until late afternoon.
The case, to be heard by Judge
(jwld   Holbrook    Sr.;    Donald
Ffook Jr.;  and  William  Allen,
Ps from   an   Oct.   9  Michigan
PPloyment Relations Commission
|ERC)   ruimg   petitions    for    a
fortification  election,  signed   by
*e than half of  Central's   ap-
^imately 600  faculty  members
""'declared  invalid   by  MERC
|*>se of a technicality in wording.
"he petitions were circulated on
campus by the Free Faculty in ah
effort to schedule an election to
determine if the present teacher
union, the Faculty Association (FA),
has the support of faculty members.
Currently, the FA has a
membership of just less than half the
faculty members at Central.
Another, union, the American
Association of University Professors
(AAUP). had intervened in the case
in an effort to get its named placed
on the ballot in the election.
However, MERC never ruled on the
validity of the AAUP petitions and
the Court of Appeals has excluded
the AAUP from the hearing.
FA attorney Clifford Weiler,
Free Faculty attorney Terry J. Mroz
and University counsel J. David
Kerr will argue the case in court as
well as submitting legal briefs to the
(See "Court will hear . . • ," page 5)
secretary," BuSselen said-. "We had trouble just getting a secretary and
student participation has been low."
The Curriculum Committee has been forced to schedule 11 extra
meetings this year, Busselen said. "We are moving through paper work
instead of through issues."
"I get no complaints about the extra meetings, but I do get complaints
about the lack of student participation," he said.
Busselen's comments prompted more senatorial criticism of student
involvement during the course of the meeting.
"We have 17 sheets of faculty names of those interested in committee
work and less than one sheet of student names," Cal Enders, chairman of the
Committee on Committees, said.
Because faculty response to the calls for committee work has been so
high and student response so low, it was suggested empty student positions
be filled by faculty members instead.
OTHER SENATORS criticized students for not attending meetings
when they do indicate an interest in a committee. "We have had to get
replacements and replacements for the replacements. The students just
don't come through for us," Enders complained.
It was noted students had left some committees to go out studenf
teaching, or to get a part-time job which interfered with committee meeting
times.
William Pilchak, student body president, said, "It's like pulling teeth
trying to get students to be senators let alone getting them involved on a
committee level. What can we do?"
When the Senate began accepting nominations for the new Ad Hoc
Honors Program Committee, one student's name appeared on the list. The
rest of the eight nominees were faculty members.
Although two run-off elections were required to elect the five members
needed, student Senator Steve Davis failed to get elected.
SenatorSue Nichols, assistant professor of journalism, said perhaps the
failure to elect Davis was due to concern a student wouldn't show up for the
meetings if elected.
"Conscientious students like Steve, who want to work, are suffering
because of those who don't," Nichols said.
ACCORDING TO Enders, there's no excuse for students to say they
won't work for a committee because they don't know what the work involves.
"All they have to do is ask," Enders said. "If a student had come to me
on Monday, I could have given a verbal description of the work involved.
Now I have found a copy of the charges (duties) for each committee that I can
show." , x
Often the information Enders can't give students is the meeting times
for the committees. The groups usually decide in the fall when they are going
to meet, he said.
"I think there are too many students taking cop-outs if the only excuse
they can give is lack of knowing what the committees do," Enders said. "It's
a lot of work, but it's their education that's at stake (when these committees
take action.)"
The Senate committee election results are as follows:      >
To the Ad Hoc Honors Program Committee: Dan Weber, associate
professor of English; Jack Weatherford* director of Libraries; Doug
Friedrich, assdciate professor of psychology; Eunice Way, professor of
physical education and Jerry StrOUse, assistant professor Of home
economics.
(See "Student involvement. . • "pageH6) ,
apply this criteria to all groups," he said.
Julius McDaniels, former student body vice-president, said, "The whole
purpose of Student Association is to streamline student government."
Pilchak noted minority .groups could have representation on the board
for each group but with one vote, "We told them they could split that vote
any way they want. AWS (Associated Women Students) and WHIP
(Women's Health Information Project) split their vote."
Minority groups at first agreed to one*minority seat, Pilchak continued.
He added the minority protest against Association appeared ironic. "They
can meet for this and work together for this protest. Yet they can't work
together with one seat."
Previously, the minority groups were to be represented by the Minority
Organizational Council (MOC), but that group has folded, according to
Leone.
The MOC, which formulated early in February but never drafted an
official constitution, was the result of a need for a unified front for the advancement of minority rights, he explained.
According to Leone, MOC information coordinator, the different
philosophies and funding systems of each individual minority group
prohibited any logical way of combining these organizations into a successful
single structure.
"The MOC, including OBU, Real Indians at CMU, COPA, ISO (International Students Organization) and Gay Liberation was a good concept
but we ran into too many mechanical problems that, as minorities, we
couldn't solve without assistance," Leone said.
The proposed MOC was organized specifically to promote unity and
cooperation between the diverse minority groups on campus, to provide an
effective input into the Student Association and to deal effectively with
problems arising from the University administration.
CM LIFE PHOTO BY JULIE WYREMBELSKI
ONE-MAN SHOW—William Windom, best known for his lead role in
the television series "My World and Welcome to It", based on the
writings of James Thurber, portrayed Thurber Monday night in
Warriner Auditorium. Approximately 500 people attended the
presentation, which was sponsored by the University Events office.
Fall registration
begins Monday
Course request forms and
registration guides for Fall Semester
1975 have been moved from outside
the Reservation and are available
now at the Registrar's office, 260
Warriner, for advance registration,
"We were running short and we
felt students were wasting them,"
Marjorie Keene, administrative
assistant to the registrar, said. "We
feel we have more control handling
them out here."
Advanced registration begins
April 28 and continues through May
2 with students registering in the
University Center Ballroom, according to present class standing.
The schedule is listed in .the course
offering guide.
It is important for students to
participate in advanced registration,
William Dunham, associate
registrar, said, so the departments
may plan class offerings according to
student requests.
"We let them know how many
students request each' class and
when there are a large number of
students requesting two different
classes, This way the departments,
can schedule, popular classes at
different times besides adding
classes,", he said.
Dunham said participation in
advanced registration is to the
students' advantage.
Schedules for payment of tuition
and delayed and late registration
also are listed in the course offering
guide.